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List: python-edu-sig
Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] graphical calculator
From: kirby urner <kirby.urner () gmail ! com>
Date: 2014-04-15 17:54:12
Message-ID: CAPJgG3SjdBg0QcS-BFVUsDqQvnOBOMT3CXdvfT77+iVSgUf+jw () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Tue, Apr 15, 2014 at 2:45 AM, Christian Mascher <christian.mascher@gmx.de
> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
>>> Unfortunately, I'd love to do the same in AP Calculus but Graphing
>>> Calculators are required on that AP exam. The students need to use the
>>> Graphing Calculator all year to be proficient enough by May.
>>>
>>
> in my state of Germany the graphical calculator ist just being adopted as
> mandatory in high-school math (last three years).
>
> As much as I like Python, I understand the administration's point that
> PCs/tablets are not an option, because they can't be used in exams (too
> much risk of cheating with WIFI, other installed programs ...).
>
Reminds be of the bad old days when kids had to practice on tablets made of
clay, with a scribing tool, as the testers allowed only clay tablets, which
would be fired and hardened and sent off to the testing service for
evaluation and warehousing... even though ballpoint pens had been invented
and everyone used them at home.
Oh wait, there were never such days, pardon the science fiction.
> Schools can choose to use a CAS, but then they get entirely different
> graduation exam questions. Even then, it is most likely they have to use
> CAS-calculators (quite expensive but bought by the students) because
> otherwise the schools would have to keep a whole set of tablets ready for
> the exams and guarantee that only the CAS-program can be used during the
> tests.
>
The math-teach thread linked above shows me reaching an agreement with
Florida (I'll call him) that Algebra in the conventional sense should
always be required i.e. all that simplifying of expressions and applying
rules of equality to solve for x, factoring... we don't let the computer do
all our polynomial factoring. The formal concept of "function" remains a
corner-stone, along with "set", but some algebra courses are more "CS
friendly" than others and my project is to start developing criteria along
those lines.
For one thing: CS-friendly means "more lexical" in content. I found
examples of algebra books which would introduce the concept of "function"
in a formal sense (injective, bijective and all that) yet never once give a
string type as input or output. Always numeric types, without exception.
I consider that approach very "CS unfriendly" plus it's a dumbed down
version of maths, which has nothing against non-numeric types in its
functions. This is not arithmetic anymore. Reversing a string is a
function and if you aren't exposed to that idea, your math may become
weaker.
Then when it comes to a next course involving vectors and matrices in some
way, we encourage Python programming (still hypothetically in many cases,
i.e. I'm not saying these courses are well established except in pilots,
some of which I've taught -- just that the laws have been messed with to
make more allowances for the new courses).
>
> My experience with Python certainly helped me to get my head round the way
> _simple_ graphical calculators work with lists quickly. OTOH the average
> math classes here have just 135 min a week and must cover calculus,
> vectors, matrices (to a certain degree) and statistics. Not much time to
> use different tools. Perhaps even not enough time to learn to use the more
> complicated calculators proficiently along the way. So I always look for
> tools which are as simple to use as Python. That might rather be the more
> simpler graphical calculator (versus the high-end type which can do so much
> more but requires months of tool-training).
>
> Just my 2c
>
I think the AP (advanced placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate)
curricula are already set in stone and there's not much wiggle room,
relatively speaking.
The freedom is to innovate new kinds of math / STEM course that (a) count
for math credit and (b) use computer languages but are (c) not AP or IB.
Per Guido's computer programming for everyone (CP4E) ethic, we're not
looking at some Python fluency as something advanced, just an everyday
skill. You may not be planning to go to college, just want that high
school degree.
We are not pandering solely to the college-bound in our course-planning.
For another thing, given how so many colleges are lost in the dark ages, we
may want to find more workarounds in our bio-region (higher ed is quite
weak here in Oregon, despite some proud schools).
Or, another trajectory: thanks to skills picked up in high school, you
earn enough money to go to college on your own terms, maybe the job helps
pay for it.
Four years of college right out of high school is becoming increasingly
unaffordable without ruinous student loans, to all but the most fortunate
few.
The middle class is shrinking in the US as the 1%, so-called, continues its
exponential gobbling of purchasable assets (Congress, Supreme Court etc.
:-D).
Kirby
[Attachment #5 (text/html)]
<div dir="ltr">On Tue, Apr 15, 2014 at 2:45 AM, Christian Mascher <span \
dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:christian.mascher@gmx.de" \
target="_blank">christian.mascher@gmx.de</a>></span> wrote:<br><div \
class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote"> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" \
style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Hi,<br> <br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc \
solid;padding-left:1ex"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 \
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> <br>
Unfortunately, I'd love to do the same in AP Calculus but Graphing<br>
Calculators are required on that AP exam. The students need to use the<br>
Graphing Calculator all year to be proficient enough by May.<br>
</blockquote></blockquote>
<br>
in my state of Germany the graphical calculator ist just being adopted as mandatory \
in high-school math (last three years).<br> <br>
As much as I like Python, I understand the administration's point that \
PCs/tablets are not an option, because they can't be used in exams (too much risk \
of cheating with WIFI, other installed programs ...).<br></blockquote> \
<div><br></div><div>Reminds be of the bad old days when kids had to practice on \
tablets made of clay, with a scribing tool, as the testers allowed only clay tablets, \
which would be fired and hardened and sent off to the testing service for evaluation \
and warehousing... even though ballpoint pens had been invented and everyone used \
them at home. <br> <br>Oh wait, there were never such days, pardon the science \
fiction.<br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 \
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> <br>
Schools can choose to use a CAS, but then they get entirely different graduation exam \
questions. Even then, it is most likely they have to use CAS-calculators (quite \
expensive but bought by the students) because otherwise the schools would have to \
keep a whole set of tablets ready for the exams and guarantee that only the \
CAS-program can be used during the tests.<br> </blockquote><div><br></div><div>The \
math-teach thread linked above shows me reaching an agreement with Florida (I'll \
call him) that Algebra in the conventional sense should always be required i.e. all \
that simplifying of expressions and applying rules of equality to solve for x, \
factoring... we don't let the computer do all our polynomial factoring. The \
formal concept of "function" remains a corner-stone, along with \
"set", but some algebra courses are more "CS friendly" than \
others and my project is to start developing criteria along those lines.<br> <br>For \
one thing: CS-friendly means "more lexical" in content. I found \
examples of algebra books which would introduce the concept of "function" \
in a formal sense (injective, bijective and all that) yet never once give a string \
type as input or output. Always numeric types, without exception. I consider that \
approach very "CS unfriendly" plus it's a dumbed down version of maths, \
which has nothing against non-numeric types in its functions. This is not \
arithmetic anymore. Reversing a string is a function and if you aren't exposed \
to that idea, your math may become weaker.<br> <br></div><div>Then when it comes to a \
next course involving vectors and matrices in some way, we encourage Python \
programming (still hypothetically in many cases, i.e. I'm not saying these \
courses are well established except in pilots, some of which I've taught -- just \
that the laws have been messed with to make more allowances for the new courses).<br> \
</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 \
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> <br>
My experience with Python certainly helped me to get my head round the way _simple_ \
graphical calculators work with lists quickly. OTOH the average math classes here \
have just 135 min a week and must cover calculus, vectors, matrices (to a certain \
degree) and statistics. Not much time to use different tools. Perhaps even not enough \
time to learn to use the more complicated calculators proficiently along the way. So \
I always look for tools which are as simple to use as Python. That might rather be \
the more simpler graphical calculator (versus the high-end type which can do so much \
more but requires months of tool-training).<br>
<br>
Just my 2c<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I think the AP (advanced placement) \
and IB (International Baccalaureate) curricula are already set in stone and \
there's not much wiggle room, relatively speaking.<br><br> </div><div>The freedom \
is to innovate new kinds of math / STEM course that (a) count for math credit and (b) \
use computer languages but are (c) not AP or IB.<br><br></div><div>Per Guido's \
computer programming for everyone (CP4E) ethic, we're not looking at some Python \
fluency as something advanced, just an everyday skill. You may not be planning to \
go to college, just want that high school degree. <br> <br>We are not pandering \
solely to the college-bound in our course-planning. <br><br>For another thing, \
given how so many colleges are lost in the dark ages, we may want to find more \
workarounds in our bio-region (higher ed is quite weak here in Oregon, despite some \
proud schools). <br> <br>Or, another trajectory: thanks to skills picked up in high \
school, you earn enough money to go to college on your own terms, maybe the job helps \
pay for it.<br><br></div><div>Four years of college right out of high school is \
becoming increasingly unaffordable without ruinous student loans, to all but the most \
fortunate few. <br> <br>The middle class is shrinking in the US as the 1%, \
so-called, continues its exponential gobbling of purchasable assets (Congress, \
Supreme Court etc. :-D).<br><br>Kirby<br><br><br></div></div></div></div>
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